PILERNE REJOICES WITH FIRST-EVER MATIECHEM FEST HELD ON OCTOBER 2
Pilerne reverberated with the sound of clanging coconut shells, as villagers put on a spirited display of camaraderie at the first-ever Matiechem Fest (Festival of the Soil) held on Sunday, October 2. Curated by Marius Fernandes and Gwendolyn de Ornelas, the festival held at the St John the Baptist Church precinct was attended by nearly 1,000 visitors
The highlight of the festival was village \’passoi\’ (flag march) with brass band, street play and Konkani skit, Mando, dulpodd, and fugdi street dances based on traditional Goan occupations, and local dishes cooked by the villagers themselves.
The passoi began from Roque Pereira\’s house at Maddani where Terryll Coutinho dressed up as St John the Baptist led the procession of musicians and villagers dressed in colourful outfits. At the first halt of the passoi, special guest Fr Bolmax Pereira gave a talk on the importance of community and environmental conservation. A group of students of Our Lady of Remedios School, Nerul performed a skit on Gandhi Jayanti. At the second halt of the passoi at the sluice gate, a street play performed by the Pilerne Theatre Group directed by Edmer Baretto highlighted the social implications of plastic pollution in society.
The passoi also celebrated famed musicians like Minguel Rod, Nolasco, Robin Vaz and Young Menezes with their songs played along the way. The procession\’s entry into the church precinct was greeted to a live display of \’fish fry\’ and roasting of cashews over fire.
There were several well-timed performances to keep everyone entertained for the fest. Mando was presented by students of Chubby Cheeks School, Pilerne, Fugdi was also performed by Shree Ganesha group, Pilerne, The Pilerne/ Saligao Seminarians did a football skills exhibition and performed a choral piece while Kotti Zumba was choreographed and performed by Zeeba, a resident of Pilerne. The wards were clubbed together into five groups which presented lovely representations of the Goencho Poder Goencho Render, Goenchi Guirestkai, Goenchi Mati and Goenche Vavraddi. All were dressed and made the event very lively.
Live music performances by the Pilerne Sunshine Band kept the crowd grooving to the beats of popular Konkani hits.
The sumptuous food cooked by the villages included Ukde rice, prawn curry with bimbli\’s and lady fingers, mackerel fry, Dhoodi curry (locally cultivated pumpkin freshly picked from the gardens of Pilerne), and Goan sweet delicacy Vhonn. In the evening, hot black tea and \’surecho pao\’ (toddy bread) were served to the people. Fernandes, who has been organising various community-based events for the past 22 years, said that such village festivals can boost Goa tourism in a big way.
\”I think the state government needs to focus on such village festivals as a new type of event. People need to be a part of the local festivals in the villages. This is our 57th festival. We have got a very dynamic tourism minister Rohan Khaunte who is forward thinking. He was in Sucorro where I used to organise festivals, and I hope with him and other stakeholders, this could be the future of Goa tourism,\” he said.
\”This festival was a kind of a startup because we had a new brass and music band. It was a high-risk event. The passoi with brass band and street play brough konkani and theatre, and people with coconut shells created percussion. Street dancing.does not happen in Bardez, except for carnivals and not in villages. So we succeeded in showcasing Goan culture, \” Marius said. Fernandes was awarded in recognition of a Global Goan for his social responsibility and for taking Goan culture across the globe in the last 22 years which includes 57 festivals showcasing the rich heritage, music, cuisine, etc.
Ornelas said that the festival was mainly women-driven. \”During the past three months that I have been here, I saw that the women were the ones who were on the forefront. They came forward, choreographed dance performances, and cooked the dishes, she said.
She also said that the idea behind such festivals was revival of old traditions, culture, and heritage of Goa that can be passed on to the future generations
\”Our festivals are revival, ethhic, and cross community, and it binds communities together. People from various walks of life meet at the festival, and it really brings everyone together,\” she said.
Parish Priest Fr Derick Fernandes said that the festival was a great success. \”We got an overwhelming response. It\’s a historic fest, with many firsts. We hope to continue this festival in future, keeping in mind the secular element of our village which is important,\” he said.
The \’balcaocheo gozali\’ had historian and heritage activist Prajal Sakardande sharing information about the village, talk by horticulturalist Miguel Braganza, and music performances by Konkani singer O\’Luv and percussionist Carlos Gonsalves.
A book on Goencho Festakar, a documentation of some of the festivals in the form of a book with foreword by Dr Gwendolyn De Ornelas and designed by caricature artist Vaibhav Salgaokar, was released at the hands of Sarkhardande.
A special yearly bulletin \’Matie Kruti\’ was unveiled at the festival. The bulletin comprises a brief history of the village and a special focus on 5 rising stars of Pilerne. 630 percussion instruments were counted and performed as part of the world record, adjudicated by The Pinnacle World Record Goa.
The third birth anniversary of the Ghumot, the state instrument of Goa, which was declared Goa’s heritage instrument, was celebrated at the fest.
Ghupoteen, a new women friendly percussion musical instrument, was launched at the fest which now completes the Ghumot family which includes the other three instruments — ghumot, mandallem and ghumoteen. The \’zero waste and no plastic\’ campaign by the organisers saw a positive response, with many citizens turning up with their own cups and plates.
Another highlight of the fest was the launch of the Pilerne Startup, a weekly market that will be held every Thursday.
The Pilerne Art Socio Cultural Association (PASCA), Pilerne Ghumot Girls Group were also unveiled at the Fest, as well as the the Pilerne Brass band and Pilerne Art corner.
– Jason Soares